Benjamin Frey
Mixed Media
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My drawings create a window into other times and places, selected from subjects which are rare or have disappeared, and made to evoke the mood of antique photographs. They are like visual metaphors blending our memories and desires into an experience which is at once personal and common: bridging the space between our individual lives into the realm of our shared imagination.
Because art is, in large part, an act of finding meaning for both the artist and viewer, I choose subjects that are strong vessels for meaning: the allure of travel and adventure, tenderness and joy, longing, excitement and curiosity are as much tools for me as are the wax pencils and antique book pages I draw with and upon. It is a sense of curiosity and wonder that leads me to images of travel, circuses, and carnivals: these are subjects that bring a foundation to our often complex lives; like a modern mythology, they are a reminder to our sense of wonder and excitement; they are the last places we allow ourselves to believe in monsters and giants and uncommon acts.